Improvement in hem p-jrakes



I. SCOWLLE.

Hemp Brake.

Patented Sept. 25, 1860.

l'n'vewt'or:

Witnesses: W:

UNITED STATES Parent @rrrca.

IVES SCOVILLE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN HEM P BRAKES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. gmllfiil, dated September 25, 1800.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Ivns SoovILLn, of Chica- 7 go, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois,

have invented a new and useful Improvement in Hemp-Brakes; and'I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and eXact desoription of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which- Figurel represents a side view, Fig. 2 an end view, and Fig. 3 a longitudinal section, of the same. 7

Similar letters of reference in each of the several figures indicate corresponding par 'ts.

The nature of my invention consists in the arrangement of successive sets of breaking, beating, and cleaning rollers running at different speeds, and the lower rollers having their bearings in a frame vibrating upon the driving-shaft, in combination with a treadle, for the purposes hereinafter described.

' To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

The machine is provided with three successive pairs of rollers, the rollers of each pair being arranged one above the other. The rollers of the first pair, M M, are made'with four rounded arms, those of the second pair and third pair with six arms,the arms of the rollers of the third pair having thinner edges than those of the second pair. The upper row of rollers, M N 0, have their hearings in the bars A A of the main frame, while the lower row of rollers, M N 0, have their bearings in a swinging frame, B, hung to the drivingshaft D. The other end of the frame B is suspended on two ropes, H H, passing over two frictionrollers, L L, on pivots secured to the main frame. tied to the frame B and the other end to a treadle, I, fulcrumed at J. A. platform, 0, is secured to the end of the frame B, immediately in front of the first pair of rollers, M M. The upper row of rollers are driven from the main shaft D by means of bands and pulleys P QR and P Q It, and the lower row of rollers are similarly connected with the main shaft D by means of bands and pulleys E F G and E F G. The relative size of the pulleys and arrangement of the bands are such that the two One end of each of the ropes is rollers of each pair revolve with the same speed and in opposite directions, and that the speed of the second pair, N N, is greater than that of the first pair, M M, and less than the speed of the third pair, 0 O.

The hemp having been placed on the platform C, so that the front ends of the fibers are between the first pair of rollers, M M, the operator depresses the treadle .I, so as to raise theframe B until the hemp is caught between the rollers M M. The rollers M M break the material and feed it forward between the next pair, N N, and finally between the last rollers, O O. The rollers N N break the material more completely, as they run at greater speed and are provided with a greater number of arms. They serve also to beat the material, so as to soften the fibers. The last pair ofrollers, O 0, running at a very great speed, boat the material and clean it of dirt, shoves, &c., so as to make it ready for use. 3y the time half the length of the material. has passed through between the rollers O O the operator relieves the treadle I of the pressure, so as to allow the front end of frame B, together with the rollers MN O, to drop. The operator then withdraws the hemp thus relieved from the action of the rollers, and places it on the platform 0, so that the other ends of the fibers will be between the rollers M M. The treadle is then again depressed, so as to raise the frame B and lower row of rollers, and sub jeet the rest of the material to the same action of the rollers to which the other half of the material had previously been subjected, there by completing the operation.

By employing the swinging frame B the op erator can at will adjust the pressure to which the material is exposed between the rollers, and can stop the action of the rollers upon the material when one half has passed through, and can then reverse its position and let the other half pass through. When the second half has been operated upon, he can again cause the frame B to descend, and can then remove the material. Thus one operator only is required to attend to this machine, while a machine on which the whole length of the hemp passes through between the rollers at one operation requires two attendantsone at one end to feed in and one at the other end 2 seam to receive the material as it issues from be Vibrating upon the driving-shaft D, in comtween the rollers. v bination with a treadle, I, substantially as and NVhat I claim as my invention, and desire to for the purposes set forth. secure by Letters Patent is- The arrangement of sueeessive sets of break- IVES S00v1 L ing, beating, and cleaning rollers running at Witnesses: different speeds, and the lower rollers, M N O. L. JENKs, '0, having their their bearings in a frame, B, RoBr. VINCENT. 

